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Jibo, the Family Robot, Has Arrived

For a relatively family-friendly $499 (about the same as an iPad), you can order an adorable-looking robot (think Eve from "Wall-E") that recognizes and tracks faces, gives you hands-free reminders, and can read and tell stories to your kids.

But as creator Dr. Cynthia Breazeal tells Yahoo Global news anchor Katie Couric, Jibo was not created to replace humans. In fact, Breazeal, a social robotics expert at the MIT Media Lab, says the 11-inch robot was designed to help and even "empower" human interaction. Jibo was developed with the goal of educating kids, helping out with health-care management and even assisting the elderly, she tells Couric.

Not only that, but the Jibo crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo, which launched today, allows visitors to donate a Jibo robot to a special-needs child at Boston Children's Hospital.

And Jibo is no creepy HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey." This little guy dances (yes, dances!), detects when you and the fam are posing for a photo, and can even remind you to call your mother — which is helpful, no matter what century you're in.

While you can order the Jibo now, its estimated delivery is December 2015.